Cerner staffs on-site health clinic for local union

Cerner isn't just an IT vendor: The company is operating and staffing a health clinic for the International Union of Operating Engineers' Kansas City chapter, reports Kansas City Business Journal.

The union's on-site health clinic is called the Union Health and WellnessCenter. The center is outfitted with Cerner technology in five care suites, and Cerner employees staff the facility, which offers primary care and urgent care services for 4,500 union members in Kansas City, Mo., according to the report.

Cerner operates approximately 45 other health facilities in this fashion around the country, according to the report.

Kathleen Sebelius, former HHS secretary and Kansas governor, was at the Thursday opening of the health clinic and said models like this are on the "cutting edge" of healthcare. "This is the intersection of a few healthcare trends," Ms. Sebelius said, mentioning the joining of health data, data exchange and consumerism. She added the facility encourages preventive, convenient care, which helps turn the "sick care system into a healthcare system," according to the report.

The Union Health and WellnessCenter is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.